Dr Olson Huff and his team of experts provide you with up to date information about your child’s health. In our health section you can find tips on common childhood ailments such as diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Find out how to prepare your child for visits to the doctor or dentist and hints on how to care for your sick child or baby.
Dentist - preparing your child for a visit
Getting your child ready for a dentist visit is an absolute essential thing to do.
Dentist visits are even hard for grown ups, so it makes sense that such a new and unusual experience can put a young child on edge. The more you can prepare for dental visits, the better your child will cope with this necessary experience.
Dentist visits are even hard for grown ups, so it makes sense that such a new and unusual experience can put a young child on edge. The more you can prepare for dental visits, the better your child will cope with this necessary experience.
- Talk to your dentist and see if your child can visit the dentist office before his scheduled appointment. During this visit, show your child the chair and explain how it moves up and down. You could also show him the light and the little sink. It would be great if your dentist could let you have one of the disposable bibs to take home and use in role playing.
- Find a good children's book about visiting the dentist, and read it to your child again and again to further familiarize him with the dentist visit.
- As always with young children, the use of role playing is vital for them to learn and understand new experiences. Set up a pretend dentist office in your home. A couch could be the chair and a lamp could be placed over them to substitute for the dentist light. Put the bib on them and pretend to check their teeth by counting them all. Let them know that the dentist may use a little mirror to see the teeth more clearly and will also use some other small tools. Now it's time for your little one to be the dentist and for you to be the patient. Remember by allowing your child to role play the dentist part, he will develop confidence in his own ability to cope with this situation.
- During the actual visit, ask your dentist if your child could lie on you if this helps her to cope. This can be a bit squishy and you can sometimes find yourself staring into the armpit of the dentist, but it's a small sacrifice to pay if it makes the visit a positive one! Talk your child through what is happening. If your dentist is experienced with children, she may also do this.
- Once the visit is over, praise,praise, praise and then praise your child some more!! You want her to feel like she has done a great job. Even if she did have a little cry or protest, it's important to build her confidence level. This will help tremendously in subsequent dentist visits.
Related Tips
- Doctor - preparing your child for a visit
- All children eventually need to visit the doctor.
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- Immunization - help your child cope (ages 2-5)
- Having regular immunizations is part of many young children's lives. So it makes sense to have a routine to help.
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